Komarr

by Lois McMaster Bujold

Series:

Vorkosigan #10

Publisher:

Baen

Copyright:

1998

Printing:

April 1999

ISBN:

0-671-57808-1

Format:

Mass market

Pages:

366

This is the tenth book in the main Vorkosigan series, the eighth featuring
Miles, and it's best to have read the whole series to know the background,
characters, and backstory references. However, if you do want to jump
into the late part of this series, this isn't a horrible spot. The
previous books don't matter as much to the plot, the series seems to be
going in a slightly different direction, and Komarr is
significantly better than Memory, the
previous book.

In this series, Bujold has had some chapters from standpoints other than
Miles's before, but Ekaterin, introduced here, is different. Her concerns
are from the start primarily domestic, and while that's tied up with a
typical Miles investigation and adventure, her parts of this story stay an
exploration of love, honor, marriage, and culture with more depth than
Miles's often flippant attitudes. She also comes from a far different
life than most of those we've seen in the series so far. She's a wife and
mother of a small boy, not a mercenary, not in the military, not part of
the Barrayaran political structure.

This works surprisingly well. When writing a character who doesn't have
Miles's manic depressiveness, Bujold has a deft touch with emotion.
Ekaterin is reserved and tries very hard to maintain an even emotional
stance, which is a good change of pace and contrast from Miles. We also
see a more mature, more cautious Miles here, adjusting to his new role and
responsibilities and avoiding the standard "Miles does something idiotic
and then spends the book digging himself out of the hole" plot. Instead,
the driving plot is a nicely twisty bit of political intrigue (I don't
call it a mystery simply because we know too much about the other side and
the main secret was easy to guess), with action and danger but without the
extended angst of Memory.

This is also, as one might expect from Miles's current life and the
introduction of a female viewpoint character, something of a romance. But
while some standard romance patterns are followed, others aren't.
Komarr is all the more enjoyable for being understated, slow, and
told in a tight third person that shows some realistic reluctance. Bujold
does a great job of showing how both Miles's personality quirks and his
newfound maturity end up perfectly suiting the situation in which he finds
himself.

Characterization is excellent all around. Not only is Miles shown with
his usual depth and Ekaterin's viewpoint compelling, but even the villains
and supporting characters have realistic motivations and complex
character. The villains are particularly note-worthy, providing a
conclusion that wasn't what I expected and a few notes of real moral
ambiguity along the way. Bujold doesn't back away from the fact that,
despite honorable goals, Miles essentially represents a secret police that
people fear for legitimate reasons. I think she could have done more in
that direction (and more would have been realistic), but there's enough to
add some shades of grey to the world.

This is my favorite entry in the series so far. I think it hits just the
right blend of characterization, emotional turmoil, and political
intrigue. The emotional depth is still a bit superficial —
it fades in memory after reading rather than lingering with me
— but Bujold grabbed me more with the Ekaterin scenes than
she has with anything in the series to date. I like Miles moderated by
someone who puts more of an emphasis on self-control. Hopefully, this is
a good sign for the rest of the series.